The Fountainhead
- 727
- Pages
- about 13 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“The Fountainhead” is a novel of ideas first and a story second, and how it reads depends largely on what one makes of those ideas. Its architect hero, who will not bend to convention, is built to embody Rand’s individualism, and admirers respond to that single-mindedness. Some readers find him unlikeable and long-winded and the philosophy unpersuasive. At more than seven hundred pages it suits those ready to argue with a book.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Russian-born American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect who battles against conventional standards and refuses to compromise with an architectural establishment unwilling to accept innovation. Roark embodies what Rand believed to be the ideal man, and his struggle reflects Rand's belief that individualism is superior to collectivism.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.0 across 563 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 79% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Classics average of 7.7. That is how 7.2 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.5 | 42 | 8% |
| Hardcover | 7.0 | 521 | 93% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Fountainhead?
It has 727 pages — longer than 95% of the ranked books in Classics.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Classics — with scores between 7.1 and 7.3, closest to this book.
